Oklahoma faces new twister risk as storms head across Plains

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By Ian Johnston, Staff Writer, NBC News

Oklahoma was again facing the risk of severe thunderstorms and even tornadoes on Tuesday as another storm system moved through the Plains and the Mississippi Valley, forecasters said.

Meteorologist Kevin Roth, of weather.com, said that isolated tornadoes were possible, along with damaging wind gusts and hail.

Millions of Americans were in the path of a major storm on Sunday that caused flash flooding and devastation throughout the middle of the country, The Weather Channel’s Chris Warren reports.

Severe thunderstorms were possible in the east and south Plains and the Mississippi Valley on Tuesday and the south Plains and north Texas on Wednesday, Roth said.

“Hard-hit Oklahoma has the severe threat both Tuesday and Wednesday,” he added.

He said there was a tornado risk for Oklahoma City late afternoon and evening on Tuesday.

“Strong thunderstorms” were also expected to hit Kansas City on Tuesday afternoon.

The National Weather Service published a map showing a large swath of the central and eastern U.S. at risk of thunderstorms and parts of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri had a slight risk of severe storms.

“Primary threats will be large to very large hail and damaging wind gusts. Isolated tornadoes will also be possible,” the weather service said.

The nation’s midsection has been battered by relentless storms in recent weeks. On Friday, severe weather began to sweep across through the region, leaving 21 dead from twisters, hailstorms and flash floods – most of them in Oklahoma and Missouri.

And on May 20, and EF5 tornado packing 210mph winds struck the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, killing 23 including 7 children who died at an elementary school.

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